Council nets £10,000 an hour from bus lane just 25 METRES long as hundreds of drivers caught out

John Siddle

2 Sep 2019, 16:45

Updated: 2 Sep 2019, 20:46

John Siddle

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A COUNCIL pulled in £10,000 an hour from a bus lane just 25 metres long, as hundreds of drivers were caught out by new cameras today.

Furious motorists in Birmingham were stung after rules were changed on one key commuter street and fines brought in this morning.

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Over a hundred cars have been caught out today with fines as they missed the new signs on this bus laneCredit: SnapperSK

Sheepcote Street, which cuts across the city, is now strictly bus-only - with drivers in danger of getting a fine if they stray into the lane that had already been in place for months.

But from today cameras are up and running, and ready to catch people driving through the bus route.

Birmingham city council bosses told of the new move on Facebook with: “Cross the line, pay the fine."

Angry motorists accused the council of not giving them enough warning and complained the new bus lane rules were poorly signposted.

The only difference is two camera symbol signs, to warn drivers they are now being monitored if they break the rules - with only buses, taxis and cyclists allowed down the street.

They now face a £60 penalty charge - potentially putting £10,620 into council coffers an hour if around 100 people make the mistake. The bus lane is set to operate 24 hours a day.

After over 100 drivers generated around £10,000 in fines between 7-8am this morning, later in the afternoon some 87 vehicles went into the bus lane in 30 minutes - potentially creating £5220 in fines.

A West Midlands Police van, council vehicles, Uber drivers and recycling trucks were among those liable to be stung with charges.

CASH COW FINES

Last month it was revealed hundreds of people in UK cities are being stung by straying into bus lanes.

Cambridge County Council raked in more than £1.8million in fines in a year from March last year.

And in 2017/18 Reading drivers forked out nearly £3million for going into bus lanes, with Belfast motorists losing more than £4million in four years for the same offence.

Councils have been accused of using bus lane fines as cash cows, with former Transport Secretary Chris Grayling telling the AA in 2018 Government would look into exploitation concerns.

Gym worker Luke Imlack, 32, fears the bus lane - which is only around 25m in length - would add half an hour to his daily commute.

He said: “I live near the airport so it’s already a 12 mile drive for me to get to work. This is going to make it so much more difficult to get to work.

“I’m not going to pay it - it’s ludicrous. The council should have let the businesses around here know because we are the ones that use it.

“When the congestion charge comes in next year then I’m not going to work in the city. It will be unbearable.

“The warning sign should be red, not blue. No one will notice it.”

'IT'S OUT OF ORDER'

One Birmingham motorist snapped in the bus lane today said: “It’s out of order. I’ve been coming this way for years and I had no idea it had changed.

“I only realised it was now a bus lane when I was actually on the road and saw the lettering on the tarmac.

“By then it was too late. Once you’re on there you don’t have a second chance.”

Sheepcote Street, at the back of the Arena Birmingham, was a popular way for motorists to access the city’s busy Broad Street.

But today drivers were greeted with the giant words Bus Lane painted in white lettering on to a bright red road surface.

To emphasise the message, Birmingham City Council last night posted on social media saying: 'STARTS TOMORROW: Cross the line, pay the fine.'

DRIVERS BEWARE

A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: “Bus lane enforcement cameras are an important tool in helping to keep the city moving but ideally there would be no need to issue penalty notices at all if motorists did not drive in bus lanes.

"With regard to the bus lane in Sheepcote Street, this has been publicised extensively through local media and social media, while there is also clear signage warning motorists of the new measures.

"The message therefore couldn’t be clearer: cross the line, pay the fine.”

Birmingham's 18 miles of bus lanes and bus-only roads saw motorists coughing up £1.36 million in fines during 2017/2018.

In 2018 there were 24 bus lane cameras operating in the city - compared with 12 in 2016 - and in the first three months of last year 2,000 bus lane fines were per week on average.

Locals commenting on the council’s Facebook post were less than impressed with the new bus-only route.

Malcolm Donaldson wrote: “It’s got to the point where I shall just avoid driving to town with all these traps, because that’s what they are.”

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Offenders included officers from West Midlands Police in a police vanCredit: SnapperSK

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A plethora of drivers were caught outCredit: SnapperSK

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A multitude of drivers failed to spot the bus laneCredit: SnapperSK

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The council warned of new enforcement coming into place on bus lanes todayCredit: @SnapperSK

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Signs have been put up warning drivers they can't go down the bus lane anymoreCredit: SnapperSK

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The new bus lanes have caused headaches for drivers already this morningCredit: SnapperSK

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